What fun! This past year of watching innocent looking plant
material gobble up great quantities of clueless insects and arachnids was
so entertaining! It's difficult to make an objective evaluation of something
with so much innate entertainment value. I'll try though. OK,
where to start...

The design

Basically, the design of the bog is working very well, some by design,
and some quite by accident. First, though, let's discuss the shortcomings.

I'm not convinced the deep reservoir contributed significantly
to any 'cooling' effect, and ultimately contributed directly to the demise
of the Darlingtonia for which it was designed to support. Immediately,
the reservoir began breeding mosquitoes. I then introduced three or
four small 'mosquito fish' for control (Sing a couple of verses
of "There was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly" to get the idea
of where this could go...). The open surface of the reservoir,
being exposed to sunlight and the elements contributed to rapid evaporation
and excessive algae growth. It was the nitrogen given off by decaying
algae that killed the Darlingtonia.

My original plan was for water pumped to the upper bog, at little
more than a drip rate, to fill that bog and flow over the waterfall, soaking
into the bog substrate on the lower level and eventually replenishing the
contents of the reservoir. WRONG. The water pooled on the surface
of the lower bog until it reached critical mass, then rushed, carving massive
canyons through the soil, into the reservoir, dumping buckets full of peat
and sand into the depths of the reservoir. The solution, which is
masterful in its design (if I do say so myself!) solves several issues.
The solution will be shared below in the design benefit section.

The waterfall has to be filled in with gravel from behind.
Slugs, attracted to the cool damp depths of the crevices between the rocks,
are treated to a death by drowning when the water flows for an hour twice
a day. Decaying slugs also are detrimental to bog flora and sensitive
nostrils. This is a winter project. I'll get on it soon...

I believe the volume of water in the reservoir may have diluted the
acidity of the peat somewhat. I don't know this for sure, but it makes
sense. The pH of the water in the reservoir is 6.0, considerably higher
than the 4.5 - 5 that I was expecting. Dilution may occur this winter
as rain water overflows the entire system and dilutes the water further.
I'll be keeping an eye on it.

The edge of the bog is too close to the lawn. Every time I
run the lawnmower by I shower the sundews with massive doses of dust, dirt,
bark dust, grass clippings, etc. It's too late to do anything about
it , but next time...

In my eagerness to have a fully mature and representative collection
of plants, I purchased only adult plants. I'm suspicious that younger
plants may have adapted more quickly and produced equivalent results within
a year or two. It's difficult to know for sure.

In spite of these issues and difficulties, there are many positive aspects
of the design. For example:

The reservoir serves to equalize and maintain the water
in the system at a very consistent level. Oregon summers are randomly
interspersed with long periods of very warm, dry days. Daytime temperatures
can rise above a hundred degrees for several days in a row with humidity
dropping to 20 - 30 percent. Evaporation in these conditions is significant,
up to three gallons per day. The prospects of keeping 10 or more square
feet of peat and sand damp in these conditions is daunting, to say the least.
In spite of the incredible water retention properties of peat, it absorbs
and passes new moisture at a similar rate. The reservoir served kind
of as a 'reverse tray' method for watering. Instead of sitting a pot
in a tray of water, a pot of water is inserted into a tray of peat.
With the water level of the reservoir two to four inches above the bottom
of the bog, a constant supply of moisture is supplied to the entire system.

The correction to the waterfall problem was this - a channel was
excavated from the base of the waterfall to the reservoir. This channel
was then lined with porous underlayment material, the same material used
to line the bog between the dirt and the plastic liner. It is a non
biodegradable fabric that allows water to pass through, but is tight enough
that sand and other material cannot penetrate. The channel was then
molded to provide a small pool at the base of the waterfall, lined with plastic
to help retain water, and then filled with gravel (including the pool, to
reduce light penetration and provide a place for a bladdarwort to grow).
This arrangement works spectacularly, in that with the twice daily circulation
of water from the reservoir, the bog receives adequate watering even when
the water level in the reservoir drops below the bottom of the bog.

To control the excessive growth of algae in the reservoir I inserted
a large pot into the opening to block light. I planted Japanese Blood
Grass and Super-dwarf Cattails in this pot to absorb as many nutrients from
the water as possible. Not only is this an attractive addition, but
it serves to enhance the safety of the bog by covering an otherwise gaping
homeowner liability issue.

This design allows 'exotic' bog species to be seamlessly introduced
into a general landscaping scheme. The self contained environment is
easy to maintain, requiring only the regular addition of water and the periodic
weeding.

Water

No discussion of carnivorous plants is complete without a discussion
of water supply. Virtually all carnivorous plants require distilled
water. Replenishing three gallons of evaporated water a day with bottled
water from your local drug store is prohibitively expensive. An inexpensive
source of bulk distilled water is a must. I tried an inexpensive reverse
osmosis unit initially, and was unable to obtain satisfactory results.
I believe low water pressure may have been a contributing factor. The unit
came highly recommended from a reputable dealer, it just didn't work out for
me. I built my bog with the expectation of using water from the RO unit.

Now it's time to panic. With visions of a quadruple-digit water
bill dancing in my head I began collecting rainwater off the roof of Rocky's (our staffordshire bull terrier) run and storing
it in 5 gallon buckets. I was able to collect and store 50 gallons of
water before summer hit. As my water supply began to dwindle I began
calling every water supplier listed in the Yellow Pages ("You want how much?"
"Are you sure you want distilled water?" "What are you doing with it?"
"We don't actually have distilled water. It's very high quality spring
water. Tastes real good!" "Distilled water is $1.95 per gallon"
"Sure, we deliver. That's a 200 gallon minimum... um, let's see, that'd
be $420"). Finally, I located a local food processing plant that produces
its own distilled water and sells in bulk to the general public. I was
able to purchase pure distilled water for 1.70 per 5 gallons - U-haul, U-provide-the-buckets.

I made a total of five trips across town with my 10 buckets bringing
my total water bill for the summer to $85. This was a fairly average
summer for rainfall. A drier summer might not be so much fun, as it's
a 20 mile trip each way to the water store. I'm now investigating putting
rain gutters on the shed and purchasing barrels to collect rain water.
This investment would take a couple of years to recoup, but might be worth
it in the long run. Considering the time to drive to the water store,
the environmental impact of driving my vehicle that far just for water, and
the energy used in the distillation process, there's probably no good reason
not to install a catchment system.

Entertainment value

OK, so the whole concept is a little perverse. Deriving
pleasure from watching a housefly plummet to the bottom of a narrow tube
to be slowly digested by enzymes secreted from the wall of the plant is a
bit morose. But, it was a housefly. Probably the same one that
derived it's own perverse pleasure from tormenting me over my picnic dinner
earlier this evening; and the craneflies and moths that eat my lawn,
the yellow jackets and spiders that otherwise disrupt my otherwise civilized
domestic life. It's all rather gratifying, in a twisted sort of way.

I will admit that the wiggling legs of a spider or crane fly hanging
out of a tightly closed venus flytrap is a bit much. Sometimes the
two or three day struggle of a hapless insect attempting to escape the progressive
grip of a sundew is mildly distressing. There are the obvious ethical
issues that arise from introducing these bug eating horrors into an environment
previously devoid of such snares. It's not fair, I know. I suppose
I should have also imported 'carnivorous plant aware' insect species to avoid
accusations of entrapment.

Educational Value

In spite of somewhat twisted entertainment values, the opportunity to
observe firsthand one of the more unique aspects of the plant kingdom is
fascinating. I have been amazed by the volume of myth and misinformation
circulating the general public regarding carnivorous plants. I have
had many opportunities to discuss the biology and ecology of not only Sarracenia,
but the value of wetlands in general and their importance in many ecological
systems.

The Weather and the Future

As this summary is being written in early December, 2000, the bog as
already experienced night time temperatures in the mid to low twenties for
a two week period. Temperatures have never remained below 40 for an
entire 24 hour period. The bog is currently protected beneath a four
to six inch layer of pine needles. This mulch layer was laid down after
two or three consecutive frosty mornings. Young, tender pitchers were
the first to succumb to the frost. Others, however, have persisted and
seem to be thriving even in these conditions. Most notably, S. leucophyla
presents a rather striking image amongst the dead and dying annuals nearby.
S. x Judith Hindle is doing remarkably well, as is S. purpurea venosa "Burkei".
S. psittacina is covered by the mulch and appears to be doing well.
The tiny pitchers froze last spring, but this year's pitchers seem much more
tolerant. The sundews are all dormant, and it remains to be seen how
many of them survive the winter. D. rotundifolia will, but I have my
doubts about D. binata and filliformis. I have good reason to expect the
survival of the venus flytraps, though each frosty morning does make me a
bit nervous.

Winters here can be erratic. The winter of 1999/2000 was extremely
mild. We received plenty of rain, but freezing temperatures only on
two or three occasions in early spring. This winter has already been
much colder and much drier, and winter isn't even here yet. The possibility
exists, supported by historical evidence, for extreme cold (near zero), several
inches of snow, freezing rain, and flooding rains. Typically, severe
conditions can repeat for several consecutive years, followed by years of
mild conditions. Fortunately, severe events are usually short-lived
and milder conditions prevail. In comparison to the native habitat of Sarracenia
in particular we are a little cooler and wetter, but rarely do average conditions
in the Willamette Valley of western Oregon exceed extremes of even the Gulf
Coast.

In Summary

So, what does it all mean? I believe, short term, that my bog
is a success. Anecdotal evidence suggests most bog plants are more
hardy than sometimes given credit. Long term survival will result from
a combination of constant care, careful analysis of data, and a little luck.
I'm through the easy part. Continued careful observation and attention
to details are essential for the continued success of this project.
And, maybe, if I do my job right, others can benefit from my experience.

Carnivorous bogs as a 'mainstream' feature in urban landscape design
is probably not going to happen. While actually easier to maintain than
the average home water feature of Koi and water lilies, you do have to spend
a great deal more effort explaining yourself. One possible option is
to build a more traditional water feature as a decoy and only tell your closest
friends and enlightened observers about your 'real' water feature.

This is the first in what I hope will be a continuing series of documentary
presentations on my experiences as an amateur boggist. I will attempt
to share everything I feel is important. Until next year...